Tobacco holding cartridge



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United States Patent 3,292,634 TOBACCO HOLDING CARTRIDGE Oris W. Beucler, Anaheim, Calirl, assignor of fifty percent to Stephen Nester, Keyport, NJ.

Filed Mar. 20, 1964, Ser. No. 353,531 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-3) This invention relates to a tobacco-holding container of so-called cartridge for placement within the bowl of a smoking pipe and by which the readying of the pipe for smoking will be facilitated and the smoking thereof rendered more convenient and enjoyable.

The operation of filling a pipe with tobacco; tamping the tobacco in place in the bowl and the later periodic reaming out of the bowl of the pipe are operations which tend to detract from pipe smoking. The filling of the pipe with tobacco often causing spilling of tobacco particles and the lighting of the tobacco in the pipe and the initial pufiing often causes flying about of sparks. As a result pipe smoking is often restricted to out-ofdoors or under conditions where the above objections are not likely to be subjected to comment.

Many cigarette smokers, desirous of abandoning the smoking of cigarettes and turning to pipe smoking, hesitate to make the change because of the objections above mentioned. Also, automobilists accustomed to lighting a cigarette while driving a car, find that they cannot conveniently fill a pipe and light it while driving. As a result they continue smoking cigarettes despite a reluctance to do so.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a cartridge or tobacco holder which can be quickly and conveniently placed within the bowl of a pipe and have its tobacco contents ignited within it with a minimum of elfort on the part of the smoker.

It is an object of the invention to provide a tobaccoholding cartridge which, by its use within a pipe bowl will prevent the formation of an adherent crust on the inside of the bowl and will thus increase the useful life of the pipe.

More particularly, the invention contemplates the provision of a substantially frusto-conical, tobacco-filled cup composed of non-combustible material such as metallic foil. The material of which the cup is made may be at least slightly deformable so that when the cup is manually pushed down into the bowl of a conventional smoking pipe, the cup may conform itself if necessary, to the interior shape of the bowl and thus frictionally retain itself within the bowl as well as establish an air-seal between its upper peripheral edge and the adjacent contacting parts of the pipe bowl. The cup is formed with a bottom wall that is provided with one or more apertures and the cap is closed at the top with an apertured closure disk provided with a laterally-extending lug constituting a finger piece -by which the cartridge can be lifted out of the pipe bowl on the consumption of its tobacco contents.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a tobacco cartridge constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the same;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the top closure disk;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of a pipe including the bowl thereof in which the tobacco cartridge is disposed;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in FIG. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 6 is a view, with parts in section of a simulated cigarette or cigar in which the cartridge can be used; and

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a similar holder in which the tobacco well is provided in the forward end of such holder.

Referring to the drawing and particularly to FIG. 4 thereof, 1 indicates the bowl of a conventional smoking pipe which is adapted to receive the improved tobaccocontaining cartridge. In referring herein to the bowl of a pipe, I intend to mean the tobacco-receiving well of any smoking implement such as for example, a pipe, or a simulated cigar or cigarette, an example of which is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The cartridge includes a tobacco-holder in the form of a cup or container of frusto-conical form or other shape according to the shape of the interior configuration of the well of the pipe bowl or other smoking implement within which the cartridge is to be fitted and used. The body of the cup 2 is preferably composed of a non-combustible material such as a relatively thin metallic foil, such as aluminum, and its side wall may be, if found necessary, suitably reinforced or stiffened by means of pressed-in ribs 4.

The cup is provided with a bottom wall 5, which can be formed integrally with the side wall, and said bottom wall has one or more draft openings 6 formed in it, and said bottom wall is preferably, but not necessarily, upwa-rdly arched as shown at 7 to provide some clearance between it and the floor 8 of the well of the pipe bowl.

The top of the cup is provided with a closure in the form of a disk 9, the same having one or more apertures 10 extending through it. The closure disk is maintained in place in the top of the cup by means of a lip 11 formed on and projecting radially from the disk and entering a slot 21 provided in the side wall 3 of the cup, and by a slot 13 diametrically opposite the slot 21 in the wall of the cup and through which slot 13 there is extended a projecting tab or lug 14 provided on and extending radially from the disk. The lip 11, while shown in FIGS. 2 and 4 as projecting to a slight extent beyond the periphery of the cup, does not in actual practice, protrude to any appreciable extent, so that it does not interfere with the insertion of the cup within the bowl of the pipe. Moreover, the malleable material of which the disk 9 is made is such that any tiny part of the lip 11 which projects is mashed or flattened by its contact with the wall of the pipe bowl when the cup is inserted in the bowl.

The tab or lug 14 is of sufficient length to enable it to be bent or shaped to cause it to overlie the top 15 of the pipe bowl when the cup is fitted within the bowl, such tab or lug constituting a finger piece by means of which the cup can be manually raised and lifted out of the pipe bowl or other tobacco Well when the tobacco contents 16 in the cup have been consumed.

The cartridge, which is tobacco-filled by a manufacturer or tobacconist before it is sold to the smoker, is pushed into the well of the bowl 1 of the pipe or other holder and with sufficient finger pressure to cause it to be slightly deformed if necessary in order to enable it to conform to the interior of the pipe bowl and retain its position therein by its frictional fit within the well of the bowl while effecting a seal between it and the pipe bowl. Such conformation of the cup to the interior of the bowl, and particularly around the upper peripheral edge of the cup causes an air seal to be effected between the circumferential upper edge of the cup and the pipe bowl, so that the draft exerted during smoking will be drawn through the apertures 10, through the tobacco 16, through Patented Dec. 20, 1966 the bottom apertures 6 and out through the smoke passage 12 of the stem.

' While I have in FIG. 4, shown the cartridge as being particularly adapted for use in a pipe, it can be readily used in any other type of holder such as a simulated cigar or cigarette, an example of which is shown in FIG. 6. Therein the holder 25 is provided near its forward end with a transversely-extending well 26 in which the cartridge 27 may be inserted. This cartridge can, if desired, be provided with tabs 28 which can lie flatly against the face of the holder and can be engaged to lift the used cartridge out of the holder. The well 26 is in communication with the smoke tube 31 substantially as shown.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a simulated cigarette or cigarette holder is shown at 29, the same being provided in its forward end with an axially-extending recess or well 30 in which one of the cartridges 27 is inserted, the tabs 28 thereon extending over the front end of the holder and available to remove the used cartridge. The well 30 communicates with the smoke passage 31 of the holder as shown.

The tab or lug 14 is positioned to lie flatly against the top of the pipe bowl as shown in FIG. 4. The tobacco filling 16 of the cartridge is thus confined within the bowl and is ignited through the apertures in the closure disk and thus is prevented from causing flying sparks during smoking. Since the cartridge is handled and used as a unit, the tobacco need not be handled by the smoker and the loading or filling of the pipe merely requires placing the cartridge in the bowl, an operation which can be easily performed even by an autoist when driving a car. Also, the confinement of the tobacco within the closed cup prevents the spilling of tobacco shreds so that the filling and smoking of the pipe can be done anywhere without causing embarrassment to the smoker.

At the conclusion of smoking, or when the tobacco contents of the cup are depleted or consumed, the then empty cup, containing only the ashes of the tobacco,

can be lifted out of the pipe bowl and discarded. Since the burning tobacco has not, during its consumption, been in direct contact with the interior of the pipe bowl, the caking or formation of a crust which normally occurs on the interior of a pipe bowl, is not produced, so that the bowl remains clean and as a result the useful life of the pipe is very materially increased.

A cartridge of this kind provides a sanitary means for the supply of tobacco; it permits the use of fine grain tobacco often preferred by pipe smokers; it eliminates :leaning out or reaming of the pipe bowl; it prevents spilling of tobacco particles and flying sparks, and it generally simplifies the filling and smoking of a pipe )1 other smoking implement.

Having thus described an embodiment of the invenzion, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. A tobacco-holding cartridge for placement within a smoking pipe bowl comprising, a tobacco-filled metallic cup closely fitting within the interior of a pipe bowl and having a slotted side wall, said cup being composed of non-combustible, deformable metal, the cup having an apertured bottom wall, the cup being provided at the top with an apertured closure disk, said disk having laterally-extending tabs extending-through the slots in the side wall to thereby attach the closure disk to the cup, one of the tabs having a part disposed along the outside of the side wall and constituting a finger piece by which the cup can be lifted out of the pipe bowl when its tobacco contents have been consumed, the cup being of substantially frusto-conical formation.

2. A tobacco-holding cartridge for placement within a recess in a smoking implement comprising, a metallic cup having a slotted side wall, a perforated bottom wall and a closure disk at the top, the disk being perforated and having a radially-projecting bendable tab extending through the slot in the side wall and being foldable to position at least a part of it on the outside of the smoking implement for engagement to remove the cup from the recess.

3. A tobacco-holding cartridge for placement within a pipe bowl comprising, a tobacco-filled cup fitting Within the interior of a pipe bowl, said cup having its body composed of non-combustible material and having a wall provided with a pair of diametrically opposed, horizontally extending slots located near the upper end thereof, an apertured closure disk having a lip and a tab extending from diametrically opposed portions thereof and adapted to extend through said horizontally extending slots in order to retain the tobacco in the cup, the tab having an extension extending upwardly over the upper edge of the pipe bowl and comprising means by which the cup may be removed from the bowl cavity.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Mallet 131-3 SAMUEL KOREN, Primary Examiner. JOSEPH S, REICH, Examiner. 

1. A TOBACCO-HOLDING CARTRIDGE FOR PLACEMENT WITHIN A SMOOKING PIPE BOWL COMPRISING, A TOBACCO-FILLED METALLIC CUP CLOSELY FITTING WITHIN THE INTERIOR OF A PIPE BOWL AND HAVING A SLOTTED SIDE WALL, SAID CUP BEING COMPOSED OF NON-COMBUSTIBLE, DEFORMABLE METAL, THE CUP HAVING AN APERTURED BOTTOM WALL, THE CUP BEING PROVIDED AT THE TOP WITH AN APERTURED CLOSURE DISK, SAID DISK HAVING LATERALLY-EXTENDING TABS EXTENDING THROUGH THE SLOTS IN THE SIDE WALL TO THEREBY ATTACH THE CLOSURE DISK TO THE CUP, ONE OF THE TABS HAVING A PART DISPOSED ALONG THE OUTSIDE OF THE SIDE WALL AND CONSTITUTING A FINGER PIECE BY WHICH THE CUP CAN BE LIFTED OUT OF THE PIPE BOWL WHEN ITS TOBACCO CONTENTS HAVE BEEN CONSUMED, THE CUP BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY FRUSTO-CONICAL FORMATION. 